Although Whitney had some interest in Ash, it was only after learning that Ash defeated Elite Lorelei that she began to pay true attention to him.
Regarding the Quartz Conference and other battles involving Ash, Whitney had only watched the replays.
Therefore, it was normal for her not to remember them well.
Moreover, while watching the replays, she focused on Ash's match in the final, paying less attention to the semifinals.
She was the type to skip through the video, so she really didn't know the situation with Annihilape.
At that time, seeing Annihilape, she just thought it was a Pokemon from another region, a type she hadn't seen before. Who would have thought it was the evolved form of the Primeape she was familiar with!
Whitney took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in her eyes, and refocused on the opponent in front of her, "Since Annihilape is the evolution of Primeape, its attribute should also include Fighting Type, right? If that's the case, let's try this move!"
"Clefable, use Dazzling Gleam!"
She was seventy percent confident in her judgment. Even if she guessed wrong, the opponent seemed to be at most a Ghost Type, and Dazzling Gleam could still inflict considerable damage!
Clefable folded its hands in front, and the pink fairy energy gathered in its palms, transforming into a brilliant light.
The light grew brighter, in the blink of an eye like a small sun, making the audience squint their eyes.
"Cle-faaa-ble!"
Clefable abruptly spread its arms, and the brilliant light turned into countless beams, pouring down on Annihilape like a torrential rain!
Fairy Type Move has a restraining effect on Fighting Type; if this hit lands, it would certainly deal considerable damage to Annihilape, provided it is a Fighting Type.
However, facing Clefable's Dazzling Gleam attack, Ash did not have Annihilape dodge, nor did he give any defensive commands.
"Annihilape, withstand it and then use Rage Fist!"
What?!
Whitney's pupils shrank suddenly, and a gasp was heard among the audience.
No matter if Annihilape is a Fighting Type or not, choosing to endure Clefable's Dazzling Gleam is just too risky!
Could it be that she was completely wrong, and Annihilape is actually resistant to Fairy Type attributes?
"Boom!!!"
The dazzling beams crashed solidly onto Annihilape, the pink energy exploded on its body, completely engulfing its figure.
After the light faded, Annihilape's figure reappeared before the crowd.
Burn marks appeared on its arms, its fur somewhat messy, but its feet were as if ingrained in the ground, motionless!
Its eyes seemed to burn with fiery anger; enduring this hit directly increased the power of the Rage Fist it was preparing to use!
"How could... it only caused this little damage?!" Whitney's wide eyes were round with astonishment, "From the force Annihilape used to resist Dazzling Gleam just now, Annihilape should still be a Fighting-type Pokemon! How could it have no effect!"
In a situation of attribute restraint, Dazzling Gleam only caused this much damage; it only suggests one thing: Annihilape's level surpasses Clefable!
"Annihilape, counterattack!" Ash's voice boomed across the arena.
"Hoo-cha!"
Annihilape let out an ear-piercing roar, right fist clenched tightly, the anger energy visibly gathering on its fist!
The energy appeared in a strange dark purple hue, like a ghost rising from Hell, sending chills down spines.
This is the special skill of Annihilape—the Rage Fist!
The higher Annihilape's anger, the stronger this move becomes, to put it bluntly, it's about taking hits.
Each time it takes a hit, the Rage Fist skill increases in power from the original.
If the power of Rage Fist is fifty, then taking one hit increases it to one hundred, two hits to one hundred five...
It goes on, stacking up to six times, which is seven times the original power!
This is why Ash chose to let Annihilape endure Clefable's skill.
Even a restraining Dazzling Gleam, in the face of level differences, couldn't deal overly significant damage to Annihilape.
In the last battle, being suppressed by the opponent's level, multiple skill hits couldn't deal fatal damage to Kangaskhan, now it's a tooth for a tooth, eye for an eye!
"Clefable, quickly dodge!" Whitney's voice was tinged with urgency.
Clefable tried to move, but Annihilape was too fast.
The robust figure shot out like a cannonball, the ground exploding into two pits under its feet, reaching Clefable in the blink of an eye!
"Bang!!!"
The dark purple fist landed squarely on Clefable, emitting a heavy, dull sound!
Clefable's round body flew like a baseball hit by a bat!
"Cle-fa——!!!"
The pitiful scream echoed in the arena; Clefable spun several times in the air, finally crashing heavily to the ground, sliding several meters before stopping.
She struggled to stand, but the intense pain throughout her body rendered her unable to move.
The power of that punch was just too terrifying, like being hit by a large truck!
Moreover, Rage Fist is a Ghost Type Skill, not weak against Clefable, combined with the level suppression, the damage caused by this punch was quite terrifying!
"Clefable!" Whitney's voice trembled slightly; she never expected her Clefable to be hit like this.
It should be known that Clefable's level surpasses Kangaskhan's and has reached Gym Intermediate Level, but still got punched into this miserable state by the opponent. That Annihilape... is Gym Advanced!
It's only natural that Ash has high-level Pokemon in his hands, after all, he's someone who's battled and won against Elite Lorelei.
Even if he brings out a Champion-level Pokemon, Whitney wouldn't be surprised.
But Annihilape's level is only slightly higher than Clefable's, yet theoretically, the gap between them shouldn't be so large!
Previously, Ash's Heracross had two levels difference with her Kangaskhan, and there was even a big level gap in between!
Even so, they ended in mutual destruction, so why is the gap so wide when it's her turn with only a small level difference?
"What is that move exactly? Judging by its power, it can even compare to moves like Hydro Pump, yet the charging time is almost nonexistent... This move is too overpowered."
Whitney murmured to herself, then cast a worried glance at Clefable still lying on the ground, "Clefable, can you still stand up?"
Clefable finally stood up with support from the ground, though her legs were slightly trembling, which was enough to prove how serious her injury was.
With just one attack, she ended up like this. What if she gets hit by another attack from the opponent?
"That's the spirit!" Whitney clenched her fist, her eyes filled with unyielding battle intent, "Since that's the case, let's show the opponent our full-force strike, use Moonblast!!"
Clefable raised her head, letting out a clear call, and a virtual moon appeared in the sky above!
The virtual moon in the sky scattered countless gleams, then gathered in front of Clefable, forming a pink energy ball that resembled a full moon!
"Clefa—ble!!!"
Clefable let out a clear shout, pushing forward with her arms. The pink energy ball streaked across the sky like a meteor and charged towards Annihilape!
The pink glow illuminated the entire battlefield as if it were broad daylight, causing spectators in the seats to involuntarily squint their eyes.
This move, Moonblast, is not much different from Dazzling Gleam, except this time Clefable used even more energy, almost all of her remaining strength!
Whitney and Clefable have staked everything on this attack!
Faced with such a terrifying and still restraining attack, Ash did not opt to evade it with Annihilape!
"Annihilape, muster your resolve and withstand this strike!" Yes, Ash's choice was to have Annihilape endure the attack once more!
In doing so, the power of Rage Fist will skyrocket even further!
He wants to determine the victory directly after this move!
"Ho-cha!"
Annihilape stood firm, arms crossed, bracing against Moonblast!
"Boom!!"
The moment Moonblast exploded on Annihilape's body, the entire battlefield seemed to tremble.
Pink energy flooded down like a bursting dam, completely engulfing Annihilape.
The ground cracked, stones scattered, and the explosion's shockwave made the Trainers in the audience subconsciously raise their arms to block.
Although Gym-level battles do not destroy the entire field like Elite Champion battles, the impact they cause is still significant. Right now, the spectators can feel the pain of grit beating against their bodies.
But they're not concerned about that; what they care about now is what happened to Annihilape!
The pink light gradually faded, revealing a silhouette in the dust-filled center of the field.
Annihilape was still standing.
His arms crossed in front of him, fur scorched and blackened, his arms covered in shocking wounds. The attack indeed caused him significant harm, but it didn't knock him down!
"How is that possible..." Whitneys voice was barely squeezed out, "Endured two Fairy Type moves, one being a full-force Moonblast... How is he still standing?!"
Even though there's a level difference between them, it shouldn't be this extreme!
Anyone who doesn't know would think it's the gap between a Gym and an Elite!
In reality, their gap is only between Gym Intermediate and Gym Advanced; this level difference can't be overlooked but shouldn't be that significant.
With such a level gap, being hit by restraining moves twice consecutively should at least leave one in a candle-in-the-wind state, making it very difficult to even stand.
In contrast, Annihilape's injuries may look daunting now, but his vitality and spirit have reached a peak, and his ghostly eyes seem to be burning with a visible anger!
The attack just now seemed to have made Annihilape's rage even more intense...
"Well done, Annihilape, now it's our turn to counterattack!" Ash excitedly punches the air, ordering, "Use Rage Fist!!"
"Ho—cha!!!"
Annihilape let out an earth-shattering roar, the anger and fighting spirit contained in his voice made the entire arena resonate.
The sheer vibration from the roar made Clefable involuntarily step back; she was intimidated by Annihilape's imposing presence!
Dark purple energy surged from Annihilape's body, no longer simply condensed at the fist — the energy, like solidified fury, enveloped his entire right arm, forming a giant fist made of pure angry power!
Just looking at this dark purple fist can make one realize the immense power of this move!
Whitney, in particular, felt it firsthand, Rage Fist is even stronger than before!
Why... why can the power of this move keep increasing? Previously, it could already be compared to ultimate moves like Hydro Pump and Thunder, and now it's reached a level comparable to explosive moves like Hyper Beam!
It's well known that these moves have considerable side effects, yet Rage Fist doesn't have any subsequent stiffness at all!
Wait! Power increase?
Whitney's eyes narrowed to pinpoints.
She finally understood why Ash allowed Annihilape to endure Clefable's attack!
It turns out that each time he withstands an attack, it makes that terrifying move even stronger!
"Clefable, use Protect!!" Running away is impossible now; the only option is to use Protect to withstand the move and see if there's a breakthrough!
Upon hearing the command, Clefable immediately thrust her palms forward, a semi-transparent, emerald-green barrier emerged in front of her, completely encasing her.
The glow of Protect shone with emerald green under the sunlight, looking absolutely impenetrable.
However, faced with Annihilape's terrifying punch veiling dark purple angry energy, Whitney has no sense of the barrier's endurance.
"Boom——!!"
The gigantic dark purple fist crashed into the Protect barrier, producing a deafening hit!
The sound was like two mountains clashing, causing the entire Gym to quake; the glass windows in the spectators' seats buzzed as well.
The shockwave diffused from the impact point outward, almost lifting nearby spectators off their feet!
In a moment, those spectators felt a chill, thinking attending a match poses a life threat!
The Protect barrier began to develop web-like fractures, spreading rapidly from the center outwards, its emerald-green glow flickering violently, seemingly about to collapse at any moment.
But ultimately, it held.
The dark purple energy dissipated slowly on the barrier, Annihilape's fist was firmly blocked outside, unable to advance any further.
Clefable hid behind the barrier, shaking all over, sweat like beans sliding down from her forehead, finally defended it, getting hit with that punch would have been disastrous!
"Blocked it..." Whitney let out a heavy exhale, her tense shoulders relaxing slightly.
However, just before her breath fully escapes, an anomaly on the field stiffened her entire being.
Annihilape's expression remained unchanged, showing no pause.
Just as the right strike was blocked, his left fist already clenched, dark purple anger energy gathering yet again, with no less momentum than the first punch, it slammed fiercely!
"What?!"
For not having any gaps between moves!
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